Page 5 - Italian-American Herald - September 2023

CITIES
statues but is also famous for a marking in the form of a meridian line inlaid in the paving of the left aisle in 1655.
While most visitors might bypass the libraries in the city, if one wants to view ancient Roman ruins then plan to visit the Biblioteca Salaborsa. During the 1990s, excavations in the historic center unearthed the two main streets built during the Roman Empire, still intact beneath the gorgeous library. You can see the ruins through the glass panes on the library floor or for a closer look go downstairs to a small museum to learn more about the history and get a closer view.
The enticing sound of water and the artistic design draws many to Piazza del Nettuno next to Piazza Maggiore to admire the Fountain of Neptune. It is a monumental fountain which was funded by public money with construction of the base beginning in 1565. The over-life-size bronze figure of the god Neptune was completed and put in place around 1566. The statue was an early design by Gamboling who had submitted a for a fountain of Neptune in Florence but lost the commission to Baccio Bendinelli.
The city is also home to a number
of museums. One is the Museo Civico Archeologico with a collection formed by merging the collection at the University of
Bologna, the antique collection of Pelagio Palagi and various archaeological findings from in and around Bologna. The museum
is one of the country’s most important archaeological museums. There are over 200,000 pieces divided into the Roman collection; Bologna in prehistory; an Etruscan collection from the area, the Egyptian collection; Gallic artifacts and a Greek collection. The timeline of artifacts ranges from the prehistoric period to the ancient Roman age.
For art lovers, the Pinacoteca Nazionale
is a must-see. This national picture gallery is housed in a 15th century church complex of Sant’Ignazio together with the Fine Arts and Historical, Artistic and Ethno-anthropological Institution. Included are masterpieces by Raffaello, Tintoretto and Perugino as well as many others who were connected to the city, Highlights include El Greco’s The Last Supper (1568); Raphael’s The Ecstasy of St. Cecilia (1518) Giotto’s Bologna Polyptych (1330); Titian’s Christ and the Good Thief (1566) and The Visitation by Tintoretto (1549).
It is always fun to learn a bit of local lore before visiting a new city and Bologna is no exception. The city has its own version of Romeo and Juliet with the story of Virginia Galluzzi and Alberto Carbonesi, children of
The most famous of the towers of Bologna are the central “Due Torri” (Asinelli and Garisenda). ADOBESTOCK.COM
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